Kidney Removal Surgery Follow-Up

Hello Everyone,

I am continuing to recover nicely from the removal of my right kidney.  It's is nice to be sleeping in the bed, being able to drive, and working a little.  Also, the effort of recovering from the surgery has taken my mind off of having "cancer".
On December 1st, the 19 staples along the incision were removed and replaced with strips of tape.  It's weird that my stomach above the incision feels sore but normal, below the incision is partially numb, and at my waistline is hypersensitive with a stinging sensation when touched.  I was told that it was due to the nerves cut during the surgery.  
I also had a follow-up meeting on the 8th with Dr. Harris, my kidney expert at Emory.  Unfortunately, I don't really like the way he communicates with me, but he seems to be the best doctor for my condition so I just have to resist the urge to switch.  During this visit, he revealed that the interleukin treatment (the only treatment with a small chance at remission or cure) does not perform well once the cancer moves to the bone, something he did not mention during the first visit.  I opted to have my kidney removed to prepare for the interleukin treatment, so I was floored to learn I may not qualify for it.  I hope to learn during a follow-up appointment on the 15th whether I can have the treatment or not.  If I do, the first dose may be the week after Christmas.


I wish everyone a merry Christmas and fun holiday season.

Scott

Below is my favorite picture.  It was taken on July 4th, 1982 after I ran the Peachtree Road Race.   It includes my dad before he became ill and died in 1983 from pancreatic cancer, as well as my brother Rick.  The hot girl is of course Sheryl, who robbed the cradle to keep me from becoming a player.  December 27th will be our 25th anniversary on top of the 6 years we dated.

Kidney Removal Surgery Update

It has been five days since I had my right kidney removed.  I came home on Saturday night, only 48 hours after the surgery, because I decided I would rather be uncomfortable at home instead of at the hospital.  I tried to lay in the bed but that was a huge mistake.  I was uncomfortable, could not move, and had to be helped up.  I quickly figured out sleeping (napping) in our recliner was the way to go.  My first bath in several days Sunday morning was a religious experience.
I do want to publicly thank my father-in-law David for staying at the house for the past week.  His taking care of of our animals, driving me around, and a hundred other big things has been invaluable.  Sheryl and my mom Dee have also been rocks.  I can't stress how valuable family and a spouse can be in a time of need.
I had an interesting disposable pump to carry around that sent pain medication into the surgery area.  I was told women also get it after a C-Section.  My pump was set to last about five days, so I pulled the two leads out and threw it away this afternoon.
I am determined to do as much as I typically do for as long as I can.  To start, I have been going out for lunch, but the doctors, and more importantly Sheryl, will not let me drive.  I also hosted the guys for our typical Monday night poker game.  They were very generous contributors this week, primarily due to my superior play.  The rest of the time I walk, nap, eat, watch TV, and work my latest puzzle.  Thursday our families will get together for Thanksgiving.
My next doctor appointment is Thursday, December 1st to remove the staples.  Unless something interesting happens before then, I will update the Blog after that visit.  Please become a member of this Blog and visit for updates when you can.

Scott

Friday Nov 18, 2011

It's been a whirlwind past 2 weeks with seeing Dr. Klass at Kennestone, having a low dose of radiation of the lower back to hopefully reduce the tumor in the lower sacrum and help relieve the numbness and pain in his legs. We went to see Dr. Viraj Master at Emory who is a Urologist Oncologist. 2 days later we saw Dr. Wayne Harris at Emory who specializes in kidney cancer and is the only doctor who does a treatment call Interleukin II that could prayerfully cure the kidney cancer and keep it from spreading anywhere else. We will also be seeing Dr. Monsoon who is an Orthopedist Oncologist. These 3 doctor are all at Emory and an integral part of Scott's team.

Today is Friday Nov 18 and Scott had his right kidney removed yesterday. He has done AWESOME. He's already eating, walking the halls and his pain is more of a soreness. He doesn't even have the numbness in his legs and feet! Once he has recovered from the surgery they will start the treatments of the Interleukin II. This has been a very emotional couple of weeks as you can imagine but through it all I have felt a sense of comfort and peace. I know they say stage IV and I know Scott has a fight ahead of him but as my dad says if anyone can beat this Scott can and the way he has handled this news and the past two weeks is AMAZING!
I can't thank everyone enough for the calls, texts, offers to help, and PRAYERS! I know GOD will see us through this and Scott will be a cancer survivor.

Background and Discovery of my Cancer

In July 2011, I strained my back working on our house and moving furniture.  Mainly because I have no history of significant back problems, I did not think much about it and tried to take it easy.  A week or two later I developed numbness down parts of my legs, the outside of my feet, and my heels.
I went to my internal medicine doctor, Dr. Reznik, who recommended some basic exercises, not lift anything over ten pounds, and to come back in 6 weeks.  Nothing improved, I was walking funny and in pain so I went back in four weeks.  This time I was prescribed physical therapy and a mild pain killer.
The physical therapy focused on the likelihood of a pinched nerve, but after three sessions I quit because I was not improving and the therapy was painful.  At my request my doctor prescribed a stronger (but still mild) pain killer and for me to see an orthopedic doctor.
All this time I had no clue my problems were anything other than a back strain.
Dr. Dennis, the orthopedic doctor saw me walk and took an x-ray.  She immediately diagnosed my problem as a bulged degenerative disk, the lowest one, that was pinching a nerve.  Fortunately, she ordered an MRI to observe the nerve damage.  On Saturday October 29th, I had the MRI.  On Halloween day, Dr. Dennis called and told me the MRI revealed three tumors, one on my right kidney, one in my sacrum and lower spine, and one on my right hip bone.  The radiologist reported it was Renal Cell Carcinoma.  She advised for me to contact a oncologist and to come to her office and pick up the report and images from the MRI, and ended the conversation by praying with me.
Well it only took me 10 minutes to find and read the wikipedia entry for the disease to realize my condition is serious.
The oncologist, Dr. Klass at Kennestone Hospital immediately referred  me to Emory for consultation.  I met with Dr. Viraj Master and Dr. Wayne Harris.  They are part of the urology team that will treat me.  Unfortunately, this type of cancer does not respond to chemo or radiation, which is why it is so serious.  The standard treatment is to remove the affected kidney, try to treat my whole body with a high dose of Interluken II, and then several oral medications that work differently for each person.  The interluken actually has a cure rate of 5%, so that would be awesome if I could respond to it.
During this time, I had a low dose radiation treatment on the tumor in my sacrum area to try and reduce it so I can walk better, reduce the numbness, and slow or stop its growth.

Scott